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I read a lot of Thorntree advice about renting or buying a car to drive the USA and was almost dissuaded to go through with the planned road-trip because it sounded like it was going to be near impossible, as a foreigner, to get a car and then get it legal. However, my friend and I managed to buy a car in California, and, after a bit of a search, we found a company willing to provide insurance. We were both really surprised at how easy it was, after we were told how hard it was going to be. We're now 1 month into our 3 month adventure and are having a ball. I'd say "do it", for anyone contemplating buying a car.

Basic required insurance was $260.00 for three months through a small company called 'California Special Services' (ph: 619-238-0793). We are even able to claim back a small amount of insurance for the two weeks short of 3 months that we don't require (minimum insurance period is 3 months). We actually used the address of the hostel we were staying in, in San Diego and the insurance company was perfectly fine with that. I'm 28, but if I was younger than 25 I know that the insurance cost would be increased (can't remember by how much though).

We purchased the car privately for $1100, through an advertisement we found in San Diego's local newspaper. We also looked around at a couple of car dealerships but the cars were more than we wanted to pay.

The car was already smog-checked (but a lot of cars we looked at weren't) and had valid registration so all we had to do was transfer the title certificate into my name. This process cost us $88 and, after a couple of minutes at the DMV, the car was ours. Again, we used the hostel's address, and again, they were perfectly fine with it.

If you have any questions, just ask.

(Incidentally, we're wanting to sell our car in or around New York at the start of April, let me know if anyone is interested.)

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A Generic Answer to the Generic Open-Ended Question
"I Have a Month in the USA. Where Should I go?"

It is vital for you to plan a budget for your trip. See, you can pay anything from $30 to more than $1,000 a night for a room. Have you checked into rental car rates? A one-way, month-long rental from L.A. to N.Y. will probably cost you between $1,500 and $2,000 for the rental alone. Be sure to read the posting in the FAQ for this board about rental car insurance, because if you don't have insurance you could be in for some very rude and expensive shocks if something bad happens. L.A. to N.Y., with divergences for tourism, will be about 4,500 miles, which will mean another $400-$450 for gas.

As for routes and places to stay, I'd really suggest that you read the FAQ here, and that you buy a guidebook. A great one is something called Road Trip USA (or maybe Road Trips USA). It gives trips on two-lane roads, as opposed to the Interstates, which famous American writer John Steinbeck said made it possible to drive 3,000 miles without seeing a thing. You also will need a Rand McNally road atlas. It'll be the cheapest item of all, at $10-$15, available in thousands of petrol stations nationwide.

Route 66 has largely been replaced by the combination of Interstates 44, 40, 15 and 10. There are a few sections of "Historic Rte. 66" left in Arizona and California. I have driven the longest of those sections and was not particularly impressed. There is probably noplace in the continental United States where you'll sit for three or four hours without seeing another car. I have driven tens of thousands of miles in every state in the country except for Alaska, where I didn't rent a car. Other than Alaska, which you won't be visiting anyway, I think the most deserted stretches of road are in the Western Great Plains, such as U.S. Hwy. 12 between Pierre, S.D. and Forsyth, MT. But I have not driven extensively in the interior or in southwest Texas, so maybe those places are lonelier.

In any case, rental cars are almost always in good condition. If you're traveling through desert, i.e., Nevada, Arizona, parts of Southern California, it's best to carry a big jug of water, a white sheet, sunglasses and sunscreen, just in case of trouble.

You really can't expect the posters of TT to plan your itinerary for you. I know you didn't make that request, but by asking for a list of the best places to stay between L.A. and N.Y. you in effect asked that very thing. I really suggest that you do some more research and narrow it down. People will be very helpful here, but you do need to be more specific.

137

U.S. 395 Through Eastern CA and the Sierras
Note: This is someone else's posting that I thought should be preserved for the FAQ. I made some changes for clarity's sake

Along 395
- Mt. Whitney Restaurant in Lone Pine while you're there (they serve ostrich patties for breakfast among other things!)
- Bishop is a good rest stop, like for lunch, and they built this huge riverside community park
- Mammoth Lakes area is always fun if you are the sporty/outdoorsy type
- If you visit Mono Lake, the South Tufa is an interesting detour

Towards San Francisco
- Grover Hot Springs looked fun when I was coming back from Tahoe but they charge a fee (maybe $5) for hot springs use
- If Ebbetts Pass is open (can be anywhere from April to June) CA Hwy 4 is very scenic and my favorite drive, period. Just watch your lunch when you make the winding climb up towards Lake Alpine, if you know what I mean.
- To reach CA Hwy 4 from U.S. 395, you turn west onto CA Hwy 89 between Colesville and Topaz Lake

On Hwy 4
- Utica Reservoir just beyond Bear Valley/Lake Alpine is a pleasant and remote lake perfect for kayaking/canoeing (if you really want off the beaten path)
- Calaveras Big Trees SP marks the end of the pine forested part. There are some great day hikes if you stay overnight or just visit as a side trip. South Grove is the longer, lesser-visited trail but has some of the largest, most spectacular redwoods in the park.
- The region between Arnold and Angels Camp is mostly wine growing. Murphys is one of the most charming towns in the gold country and it has a historic main street lined with wine tasting shops. If in town, do not miss the park. It is picture-perfect and they hold all sorts of community events on the weekends. Pizza Plus! is a tasty dining option and very cheap.
- Nearby Murphys is Ironstone Vineyards, which is not only a great winery but also houses the world's largest gold nugget.
- The gold country has many cave systems and a group called Underground Adventures operates tours of four caves and one gold mine. All are worth a visit.
- A little-known hike on Parrott's Ferry Road between Angels Camp and New Melones is Natural Bridges (the trailhead is well-posted, though). The hike is just one mile out and one mile back and it visit a spectacular natural arch suspended over the river. Bring a raft if you can to go into the cave and see the stalactites and stalagmites from inside. It is an unforgettable sight.
- Columbia is the gem of the gold country and a unique throwback to the glory days. I return at least once a year. The main-street is car-free and has everything you could imagine from a gold rush town from the saloon and blacksmith's shop to the post office and old school house. Don't miss Nelson's Candy Kitchen; everything is handmade. Also, it wouldn't be a gold rush town without the opportunity for gold panning. There are a couple hotels on the main strip but if you have a tent the Marble Quarry RV Park (named after the nearby marble quarry) is actually nicer than it sounds. All of the RVs occupy the upper area while tent campers get the nicer bottom section. There are rocks to climb and a relaxing trail through oak groves into town. Columbia also has the distinction of having the only airport in the area.
- The road leads through Sonora, where there are plenty of options for refueling before hitting the road again. Pretty much every major chain store is located in town.
- Jamestown has a National Historial Railroad just south of Sonora

From the Sierra Foothills/Gold Country you can easily make it to San Francisco via Modesto. If you can make it through Ebbetts Pass, stay in the Gold Country for a few days. If you can’t make it and you have to go up through Tahoe, hit DL Bliss SP near Emerald Cove or maybe even the Desolation Wilderness en route.

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Unusual Places to Stay

Check this link

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For Travellers in South Florida

Of course, this comes after the winter season, but it is a question asked often...

Tri-rail has finally completed their new tracks; the traisn now run on time 90% of the time, and will run far more often (40 trains on a weekday, trains every 2 hours on the weekends).

Why is this important? Because it serves the three main south florida airports (Miami, Ft Lauderdale and West palm), with conecting bus service from the stations.

the new schedule is: Here.

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Dialing instructions for international and local travellers can be found here: dialing instructions & advice

141

Caution in Washington, D.C.

For many years, the Capitol Mall has been known and indeed renowned as an oasis of safety in a city that can otherwise be dicey in spots. As of late May 2006 that is in question. Read this article and this article. I lived in Washington for five years in the late 1980s, when the general crime rate was far higher than it is today. I'd have never expected to post a warning about the Capitol Hall, but apparently the city authorities have lost their grip. Maybe they'll get it back. Let's hope so. Meantime, be careful.

142

To Foreigners: In the U.S., The Minimum Acceptable Tip Is 15%

Foreigners (and the occasional American psycho cheapskate) complain about the custom of tipping at least 15% on the pre-tax total. Between that and the state (and sometimes local) sales taxes not included in the menu prices, you have to mentally add about 20%-30% to restaurant prices. Here in Seattle, for example, the meal tax is 9.1%. For the tip, I typically double the tax and round up to the the next dollar.

This means, for example, if a menu in Seattle lists an item for $15 I will actually wind up paying somewhere between $19 and $20 for that item. If you don’t want to leave a tip, then eat at a McDonald’s (no tipping at fast food joints) or buy your food at the grocery store. But if someone brings food to your table, you must tip.

Why tipping? Because wait staff – which includes bartenders, by the way -- make very little formal wage. Not only do they live on their tips, but the Internal Revenue Service assumes for tax purposes that they were tipped at least 8%. In other words, if you don’t tip at least 8%, your server will literally pay to wait on you.

No one will force you to tip, but it's burned into everyone's brain in this country that you will burn in hell if you leave anything less than 15%, and it's not at all uncommon to leave 20% or more if you had a great dining experience. Sure, there are American jerks who stiff the servers -- after all, we've got 300 million people and a certain percentage are psychos -- but that 15% minimum is written in stone. I can recall exactly ONE time in my life when I have left less. They just about have to spit on your plate to justify leaving less. Example: The restaurant is busy as hell and you have to wait a long time. Or the server mixes up your order. The tip is 15%.

One of the things you're going to notice, by the way, is that table service in the U.S. is, on average, noticeably better than anywhere else in the world. The tipping system here has its flaws, and it’s sharply at odds with how things are done elsewhere so it takes getting used to. So get used to it, and enjoy its benefits.

_What about tip jars_? Some establishments will have a tip jar on the counter. A lot of people get pissed off about that custom. There’s no need to put anything in those jars. I usually throw the change in there, as much because coins are a bother to carry around as any desire to tip anyone.

_How about taxis and bellhops and others_? Taxis are 15%-20% of the meter. Bellhops $1 a bag but not less than $3 total. If you’re in a really swanky joint that has a doorman and a bellhop it’s your funeral because both those guys get tipped at the bellman’s rate. If you’re in luck, the same guy will do both, in which case the minimum ought to be $5. Barbers get an extra $2 for a man’s haircut; not sure about women’s hairdressers.

Hotel room service is a sticky issue. Most hotels add about 25% to the bill in the form of an 18% service charge plus a flat delivery fee of $2-$4. So, in theory, you just sign the bill and that’s that. I usually give whoever brings it another couple bucks in cash on the theory that the hotel not the server is taking those surcharges for itself and another couple bucks never hurt anyone. But if there’s a service charge on the room service bill you won’t offend the karma gods by not adding anything to that.

143

Tips on Renting a Car in the U.S. and Driving It Here
From a very frequent renter
Note: Updated January 2008 -- L.A. renters, see note at bottom

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Do you need a rental car in the U.S.? There is a fairly strong bias on Lonely Planet toward mass transit. In a few cities, most notably Washington, New York and Boston, a rental car is almost always more trouble than it's worth. San Francisco can often be toured solely on foot, and Chicago has an extensive rail system as well as good bus service. After that, the curve drops off quite steeply, and you'll find it difficult to have a satisfying trip without personal transportation. Greyhound has been cutting its service to small towns, and wilderness areas are most often inaccessible other than by personal transit.

Rent in advance. It is cheaper than waiting until you arrive at your destination. I’m told that, at least in some cases, it’s cheaper to make your arrangements through a European and/or British agency before you leave.

How much does it cost? Exclusive of insurance (see below), you should expect to pay $35-$50 a day for a car that you rent in a city and return in the same place. To return it in a different city, expect $50-$60 a day. There are exceptions; agencies often waive drop-off fees between cities that are close to each other; and at certain times of year (early fall going south, late spring going north) you might find no-drop-off-fee rentals to and from Florida and the Midwest or Northeast. At current fuel prices of roughly $3/gallon, figure 15 cents a mile.

What kind of vehicle should I rent? The U.S. is a huge country known for, among other things, its weather extremes. This leads some to ask whether they should rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle for getting through snow. Others wonder about automatic vs. manual transmissions. The answers are these: You almost never need to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle here. The U.S. is a first-world nation that plows its roads; only if you’ll truly be going very far off the beaten track do you need to consider the option. And even then, you’ll find clauses in rental car contracts that forbid off-road use of vehicles, which begs the question of why anyone should rent one in any case. To put it differently: Sport-utes are mainly an American automotive fashion statement, and from a visitor’s point of view it’s a waste of money to pay extra for one.

As for transmissions, it is virtually unheard of to find a rental with anything other than an automatic. Manual transmissions are increasingly rare in the U.S., usually confined to sportscars. Even they are increasingly configured with high-tech "automanual" gearboxes. All rentals in the U.S. use gasoline; diesel engines are still rare here. Gas-electric hybrids are unheard of in the rental sector; this is because hybrids are still novelties in high demand, and hence expensive. Rental agencies generally avoid "hot" models, because they’re expensive. Moreover, hybrids are more complicated than gas-powered vehicle and are therefore more signficantly expensive to maintain.

The major rental agencies are best. The majors are Hertz, Avis, National, Budget, Thrifty, Alamo, Dollar and Enterprise. Beware of "off-brand" agencies offering cheap rates. They are known for their scams. There are exceptions, such as Word of Mouth Rental Car on Maui (in Hawaii). At the bottom of this post, you'll see a link to off-brand agencies in Los Angeles. But, especially if you're not an American, you should generally steer clear of the temptation to get a lower rate with an off-brand.

Just be aware that the "bargain" rate might not be such a bargain after all. Small, off-brand rental car agencies are generally known for sketchy practices including:


GPS Tracking. Let's say you rent a car in Las Vegas, and somewhere in the fine print of the contract it says you're not to take the car out of Nevada. You don't pay attention, and you take the car to Death Valley (California) or the Grand Canyon (Arizona). You return it to Vegas, and suddenly you find a whopping surcharge for having gone out of state. Some agencies have even been known to levy their own "fines" for speeding.


Insurance scams. This happens when the agency gives a bonus to the clerks at the rental counters for selling insurance. Example: You have a car at home and your insurance covers the rental car. Your credit card covers the deductible. But the clerk convinces you that you MUST purchase LDW and/or liability insurance anyway.


Inflated car damage claims. You return the car, and two months later you find an extra $250 charge on your credit card from the rental agency. You investigate, and find that you were billed for a scratch on the bumper.


If you rent from an off-brand agent. Read the contract carefully. Be on guard for insurance scams. Carefully note the condition of the car -- every little scratch and ding -- before you accept the keys. If there are defects insist on filling out a form that they should have for this purpose, and on getting a copy of the completed form. If they don't have such a form, don't take the car. Take (time-stamped, if possible) photos of the vehicle, including one that shows the license plate, before you leave.

Shop around. There are huge variations in quoted rates for rental cars. It’s not at all uncommon for one agency to charge twice as much as the rates charged by someone else, or for an agency to change its rates over time.

Get the full price. There are all kinds of extra charges from rental car companies, so ask whether the price includes "all fees and taxes."

One-way rentals usually cost more. If you rent a car in one city and drop it off in another, there is usually a considerable drop-off charge. Occasionally drop-off fees will be waived in some markets and/or at some times. You're most likely to find these deals within regions like Florida or Southern California, or for cars being driven to or from Florida at the beginning or end of the tourist season.

Try to be 25+ years old. Some agencies decline to rent to anyone under 25 except as required by state law in Michigan and New York, or if they have a corporate contract that requires rentals to younger drivers. Some agencies will rent to 21+ with additional charges. In Michigan and New York State, all agents are required to rent to drivers 18+ but I’ve seen some whopping surcharges attached to it. Note: At the bottom of this post, there is a link to L.A. agencies that rent to under-25 drivers without massive surcharges.

Another thought: If you are, say, 23 years old and find yourself being charged a surcharge, one way around it might be through your employer – if you are in fact employed, that is. Corporations whose personnel travel on business often have contracts with rental car agencies that specifically waive underage surcharges. Check with your personnel department to see if you can rent under that contract.

Inspect the car carefully before you drive it. As of this writing, even the major agencies are taking a hard line on even minor damage to their cars. Note everything wrong, no matter how minor. Submit a statement to the agency before you leave the lot, and be sure it's signed, dated and that you get a copy. If you have a digital camera with a time-stamp feature, take pictures of any defects. This will be cumbersome, but it could save you a lot of money.

Decline the fuel purchase option. When you start out, the tank will be full. Most agencies will ask if you want to buy the gas in the car and return the car empty, or whether you want to not buy the gas in the car and return the car with the tank full. Don't buy the agency’s gas, and fill the tank before you return the car. Save all your fuel receipts; occasionally you'll be asked for them. Before you leave the lot, check the fuel gauge. Even major agencies have been known to underfill their tanks and hope the renter doesn't notice. Now that gas has become more expensive, we can expect such reports to become more common.

Navigating American highways. The biggest mistake non-Americans (especially Europeans) make is to underestimate the distances between cities here. The United States is a huge country. If you include southern Canada (whose major cities are within 100 miles of the U.S. border) it covers the land mass of the entire European continent west of the Urals, including Scandinavia. New York to Chicago, for example, is a 1,350km/800mi drive. Want to see Niagara Falls? It's about 800km/500mi each way from Boston. Plan accordingly. An indispensable tool is the Rand McNally Road Atlas, available in larger fueling stations for $12. It has maps for all 50 states and all Canadian provinces

Safety in the U.S. Non-Americans often vastly overestimate the danger of travel here. You watch too much television. I recently encountered a vivid example of this when I met an young Australian bicyclist on a trip from Washington State to the Bay Area of California. He was worried about being raped by the homosexuals he had heard prowl campsites at night and/or killed by gangs of blacks and Mexicans. We had this conversation while standing next to his bicycle parked at a glorious beach in Oregon. It was a challenge to avoid falling over laughing at what he was telling me.

Look, folks, it's a big country, which means anything can and does happen here. And at the moment our news media loves to highlight bizarre crimes. But television and daily reality are very different things. The bicyclist? After I had given him a fifth of bourbon, some smoked salmon and a couple cigars for the journey, he admitted that he had encountered approximately one act of outrageous kindness per day on his American trip. So relax. If you're lost or need help, just ask. Scratch an American and you'll find a tour guide. You'll like it here.

This brings up another point, which is hospitality in the United States. Here’s the dirty little secret of the American psyche that foreigners can use to play us like a fiddle: Everywhere you go, just tell people how beautiful this country is and how nice everyone’s been to you. It is impossible to be too corny or too goofy while you do this, and the more you smile while you say it the better. Chances are you won’t even have to lie, because it happens to be true. Americans just love to be loved, and most of us wish the national anthem wasn’t the bombastic and unsingable Star-Spangled Banner but America The Beautiful. Play this card with the right person, at the right time, in the right place and you just might get a free dinner out of it.

Rental Car Insurance: O! The horror! There is nothing so complicated as the insurance that surrounds rental cars. You can count on the following: First, whatever insurance you buy at the rental car counter will be horrendously overpriced. Second, if you own a car at home and have insurance, it’s almost always totally unnecessary to buy any additional insurance for a rental car. Third, whatever you do, do NOT drive in the United States without liability coverage. Repeat: Don’t drive here without liability coverage. If you get in an accident and it’s even partly your fault and you don’t have liability coverage, you’ll wish you were the one who died. With that, here are the gory details:


Collision insurance. Many credit cards will pay the collision insurance deductible, and so will many personal insurance policies. Check this before you travel. The CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) policies sold by rental car companies are expensive. There is also something called LDW (Loss Damage Waiver), which is CDW that also covers damage from theft and vandalism. Credit card policies vary on this, and so do personal insurance policies. One thing is for certain: If you’re going to purchase CDW from the rental car company, you might as well buy LDW if it’s available. But don’t buy both.


Personal Effects insurance. Let’s imagine you don’t have a car at home so there’s no backup insurance policy. You buy the LDW and someone steals the rental car. And along with it, they swipe your luggage and all your other stuff. Or they simply break into your rental car’s trunk and swipe everything. Guess what? The LDW covers the car, not your stuff. That coverage goes by the usual term PEC (Personal Effects Coverage). If you buy PEC, you’d better have receipts for everything you lost, or the insurance company will stiff you on the reimbursement. And you’ll have to file a police report.


Crucial: You must have liability insurance! Neither CDW, LDW or PEC, nor anything provded by credit card policies, cover liability, i.e., the damage you do to another person's car or person while driving. This is your responsibility, and it can be a financial nightmare if you get into an accident. You know all those stories about the "litigious American society?" One of the sources of that reputation is the unending lawsuits over personal injuries caused by car accidents. So check your own car insurance before you go, because it usually covers liability. If you don't own a car at home and will be renting one here, then you really need to buy separate liability insurance for your rental car. It's typically available from the rental car agency, and is often split into SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance) or ALI (Additional Liability Insurance) and PAI (Personal Accident Insurance).

Insurance isn’t for the happy outcomes, so let’s imagine something really bad. You get in a terrible accident on a busy street in Los Angeles. You’re injured, your passenger dies, the other driver dies and his passenger is critically injured. Further imagine that it all happened because you didn’t notice that the light had turned red, and therefore the accident is ruled to be your fault. Not only that, but witnesses say you were speeding. You will be liable not only for the damage to the other driver’s vehicle, but for their medical expenses and the financial value of wrongful death, pain & suffering, etc. SLI/ALI pays for this. PAI pays your medical bills, your passenger’s medical bills and a death benefit for your passenger. The American Automobile Assn. (AAA, commonly called "Triple-A") also sells liability insurance. Do not ignore this issue!


Read the Fine Print!. Those credit card CDWs, and often your own personal insurance, tend not to cover the rental of exotic, expensive or specialty vehicles. If you’re going to rely on those coverages, check the wording before renting, for example, an SUV, a recreational vehicle or a luxury car. I think SUVs are almost always covered, but only for on-road use. Don’t assume that you’re covered for any vehicle going anywhere. Same goes for renting a car in the U.S. and then driving it into Canada or (especially) Mexico. Reading the fine print could save you a bundle of money. Don’t assume you’re covered, because you might not be!


I Haven’t Convinced You? Then let me tell you about the following scam, which is common in L.A.: the staged accident. There are several forms, the most common being that a car with a bunch of people in it pulls in front of you in heavy traffic. Then another car pulls in front of that car and cuts it off. The car in front of you slams on the brakes, causing you to rear-end it. Under U.S. law, in a rear-end accident the driver in back is almost always at fault unless fraud can be proven. In these scams, all the passengers file phony (but difficult to disprove) medical claims, supported by doctors who are in on the scam. No liability insurance? Then those claims are made against you personally. If you don’t have liability insurance it can ruin you. Convinced? I sure hope so! Don’t drive here without liability coverage!



An Insurance Alternative. Okay, so you either don’t have a personal car at home or you checked and found out that for one reason or another your personal insurance won’t cover you in the United States. You looked on-line and have learned that the policies from the rental car companies are too expensive. Before you despair, try The Insurance Exchange. I don’t vouch for them, but from the looks of their website and the things I’ve read about them on the TT, my gut says they’re for real. Decide for yourself.



Tip for L.A. One poster tells us that this website lists car rental agents in Los Angeles with cheaper rates, and which will rent to people under 25 without massive surcharges. Do not construe my inclusion of the link as an endorsement or recommendation of the agencies it lists. Rent at your own risk. As previously noted, with off-brand agencies read the contract carefully, be on guard against pressure to buy unnecessary insurance, carefully note the condition of your car before renting it. If there are defects insist on filling out a form that they should have for this purpose, and on getting a copy of the completed form. If they don't have such a form, don't take the car. Take take (time-stamped, if possible) photos of the car (including the license plate in one photo) before you drive it off the lot.

144

Safety and Hospitality in the U.S. – Good News for Foreigners

Non-Americans often vastly overestimate the danger of travel here. You watch too much television. I recently encountered a vivid example of this when I met an young Australian bicyclist on a trip from Washington State to the Bay Area of California. He was worried about being raped by the homosexuals he had heard prowl campsites at night and/or killed by gangs of blacks and Mexicans. We had this conversation while standing next to his bicycle parked at a glorious beach in Oregon. It was a challenge to avoid falling over laughing at what he was telling me.

Look, folks, it's a big country, which means anything can and does happen here. And at the moment our news media loves to highlight bizarre crimes. But television and daily reality are very different things. The bicyclist? After I had given him a fifth of bourbon, some smoked salmon and a couple cigars for the journey, he admitted that he had encountered approximately one act of outrageous kindness per day on his American trip. So relax. If you're lost or need help, just ask. Scratch an American and you'll find a tour guide. You'll like it here.

This brings up another point, which is hospitality in the United States. Here’s the dirty little secret of the American psyche that foreigners can use to play us like a fiddle: Everywhere you go, just tell people how beautiful this country is and how nice everyone’s been to you. It is impossible to be too corny or too goofy while you do this, and the more you smile while you say it the better. Chances are you won’t even have to lie, because it happens to be true. Americans just love to be loved, and most of us wish the national anthem wasn’t the bombastic and unsingable Star-Spangled Banner but America The Beautiful. Play this card with the right person, at the right time, in the right place and with a little luck you just might get a free dinner out of it.

Relax, and enjoy yourself! We’re glad you’re here.

145

Willysnout’s Pacific Coast Drive From Seattle to San Diego
From Someone Who’s Done It About A Dozen Times

Tourism is always about picking and choosing. As long as you remember this and don't try to do too much, you'll be fine. Oh, and be sure to have a Rand McNally Road Atlas with you, available at gas stations everywhere.

If I were you I'd drive from Seattle to Portland on I-5, then from Portland over to the coast. Portland is a smaller version of Seattle with an attractive downtown, but it’s not a tourist destination in its own right. If you want to bypass Portland, exit I-5 at WA Hwy 432 near Longview, WA. Take Hwy. 432 into town until you reach WA Hwy. 433. Turn left, and that street will take you over a big bridge across the Columbia River. It will connect to U.S. 30. If you go west (right) on U.S. 30, you'll go Astoria and U.S. Hwy 101 and save a couple hours of driving time versus having taken I-5 to Portland. There is an interesting maritime museum in Astoria that’s worth seeing.

Along the coast, you'll see that most of the Oregon towns really aren't very attractive. The nice ones are Canon Beach, Seaside, Yachats, Newport and Gold Beach. Of those, Canon Beach is the most "touristy," but it's not unacceptably crowded at all. There are some nice (but not outrageous) restaurants in Newport. In Brookings, OR, the last town before the CA border, there’s a fantastic restaurant on the east side of US 101 called the Great American Smokehouse. It’s easy to miss the place so keep an eye out for it. Be careful about stopping on the road itself to make the left turn into the place. Instead, pull over to the right, and then cross the road. People have been killed trying to make the left turn from U.S. 101 itself. Anyway, Nancy is an American food goddess. Have the salmon pate and the wild blackberry crisp a la mode. Also in Southern OR you’ll see places selling mytlewood. Stop and have a look. I have several myrtlewood bowls and they’re great.

When you get to the CA border, just keep going on U.S. 101 to the intersection of CA Hwy. 1. Prior to that intersection you’ll go through several redwood parks. If time allows, a great two- or three-hour detour is as follows:

From the north. Exit U.S. 101 at Klamath, CA and work your way west on Old Hwy. 101 (that’s what the road is called) to Alder Camp Rd. Keep following that road west until you meet a T-intersection, at which point you turn left (south) and keep following the road into Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, where you’ll link to the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. Keep going south on the parkway. It is a loop that links on both southern and northern ends with U.S. 101. The detour I’ve described is absolutely beautiful. You’ll see redwoods and the coast, and at most times of the year you’ll have it virtually to yourself.

From the south Exit U.S. 101 at the Nelson B. Drury Scenic Parkway. Every time you have an opportunity, turn off that road and proceed west toward the ocean and north. You’ll eventually reach the coastal overlook road (Alder Camp Rd.), which you’ll take to Klamath, CA, where you reconnect to U.S. 101. The detour I’ve described is absolutely beautiful. You’ll see redwoods and the coast, and at most times of the year you’ll have it virtually to yourself.

At the intersection of U.S. 101 and CA Hwy. 1, take Hwy. 1 over to to coast and down through the towns. My favorite town in Mendocino, which is attractive and somewhat "touristy" (News flash: You are a tourist) but not objectionably so. Another 15 miles below Mendocino is the town of Elk, CA. There is an outstanding, but expensive, place to stay called the Harbor House Inn. It’s in my "global top 5." If you’ve got the money, I can’t recommend it too highly.

From Elk or Mendocino, you shouldn't have any difficulty reaching San Francisco in one day. I have separate thoughts about what to do there, and they are attached at the end of this. Keep in mind that Point Reyes and the wine country are on the way, so if you want to see either or both, it would be a good idea to do so before you get to ‘Frisco. (Oops, the oh-so-hip at Lonely Planet, along with many locals in S.F., insist on it being called "The City." I like to call it ‘Frisco to drive them nuts.)

Here is an excellent travel article about the Northern California coast, including Mendocino and Pt. Reyes.

From San Francisco, take Hwy 101 and Hwy. 1 to Santa Cruz, a relaxed college town with a nice waterfront including an ocean pier built in the 1930s. This is a good place to have lunch. From there, go to Monterey, a very nice medium-sized coastal city. Worth a couple of days if you have the time. See the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Eat at Fisherman's Wharf, which is much better than the one in San Francisco. Drive along the waterfront, especially toward Pacific Grove, a suburb to the south. Farther south, there is the 17-mile drive, a beautiful private road that charges a toll of about $8. Definitely worth it. Many people on the LP board object to the toll and therefore will say negative things. Ignore them.

Monterey is a good place to stay. If you can snag a room at Asilomar, a state-owned conference center managed by Delaware North (a company that has concessions in various national parks), do so. They give preference to groups but sell leftover rooms to individuals. They are increasingly hard to come by. There are other hotels near Asilomar, which is actually located in the suburb of Pacific Grove just south of Monterey. If you’re looking for cheap rooms, Monterey has the usual selection of Motel 6, Super 8, etc. Most of them are on the north side of Monterey.

From Monterey, continue south on Hwy. 1 through the town of Big Sur and then onward down the road, which winds its way over huge cliffs plunging into the ocean. It's one of the most beautiful coastal spots anywhere, and you're going to want to stop at various spots just to look. At Big Sur, be sure to have lunch at Nepenthe. Also, Pfeiffer Beach is fantastic. It’s not to be confused with Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The state park is on the east side of CA Hwy 1; the turnoff to the beach is a mile or so south of the park, unmarked, on the west side of CA Hwy. 1. All you’ll see is a sign warning that people with long trailers shouldn’t go down that road. Nothing about a beach, but trust me there’s a beach at the end of that road and it’s fantastic.

Two high-end places at Big Sur are Ventana Inn and Post Ranch Inn, the latter being increrdibly expensive, i.e., $750-$1,000 a night. Post Ranch Inn also has a restaurant, and I highly recommend it for lunch or dinner. Also at Big Sur, there is something called Tree Bones Resort, which consists of yurts next to the water. I haven’t stayed there, but it’s not terribly expensive for that area, looks really interesting and sometime I’ll do it. Farther along the road is the town of San Simeon, the site of the Hearst Castle, a huge complex built in the 1920s and '30s by a media baron. It's now owned by the State of California and operated as a tourist attraction. Worth visiting.

Farther down the road, you just basically keep driving until you hit L.A., making sure to stay on California Hwy. 1 rather than using U.S. 101. Some people would recommend Santa Barbara, but frankly I've never really liked it all that much although I'd say that their restored downtown is attractive. There are some great beaches as you approach L.A., my favorite being Leo Carillo State Beach, about 40 miles north of Santa Monica. It's a great place for a cookout. Hit a grocery store and get some steaks, a throwaway portable grill and whatever utensils you need, a bottle of wine and some sourdough bread, and barbecue it at sunset there. It's an amazing spot.

When you hit L.A., I'd recommend finding a hotel in Santa Monica. The Shangri-La is a great place near the ocean, not hideously expensive. Very 1940s. You could imagine it being used to film parts of Chinatown or L.A. Confidential. Nearby the hotel there is the 3rd Street Promenade with lots of shops and restaurants. Also nearby is the Santa Monica Pier. Shutters on the Beach, a very expensive hotel, has a good restaurant. About a mile or so south of all that is Venice Beach, which is best visited on a weekend afternoon. Funky boardwalk, "muscle beach," etc.

From L.A. to San Diego is pretty highly developed. I'd take the freeway to Long Beach and then get back onto Highway 1 for the remainder of the trip to San Diego. The prime spots along the way are the town of Laguna Beach (good restaurants and views); San Juan Capistrano (site of a "mission" church built in the 1700s by a Catholic priest), and San Clemente State Beach (another great cookout site). At the very southern end of that beach, up on the cliff, is the housing development where Richard Nixon, former U.S. president, had his California house.

Back in the early 1980s, surfers told me that Nixon would walk down to the beach and wander around in a business suit. It's pretty hard to convey in words on this website just how weird that is, but if you go there and look around you'll see what I mean. Anyone who would walk that beach in a business suit must have had some serious mental problems.

So that’s my quick guide to the highlights. For information about Seattle, San Francisco and L.A., and side trips therefrom, see my separate guides to those cities.

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Willysnout's Biased Guide to Seattle*
By a resident but not a mindless booster
* Thanks to Ms F for additional attractions and websites

Seattle itself is worth at least a couple of days, and the region is worth at least a week. Attractions here include:

- Pike Place Market. Restaurants, food stalls, fish mongers, souvenir shops, coffee, a microbrewer and generally just lots of fun.
- Pioneer Square. Good bars, the Elliot Bay Bookstore, various craft and souvenir shops, the "Underground Seattle" tour
- Seattle Art Museum downtown (Note: SAM is closed for renovations and will re-open in Spring 2007.)
- Monorail/Space Needle. There's a restaurant up there, too, but it's not very good.
- Experience Music Project. Museum devoted to Jimi Hendrix + often there are other rock music exhibits and events
- MOHAI. A hidden gem of a museum
- Museum of Flight. Not formally operated by Boeing, but lots of connections.
-Japanese gardens at the Washington Park Arboretum
- Seattle Asian Art Museum
- Ride the ferry boats on Puget Sound
- The Seattle Aquarium
- The Frye Art Museum
- At the U. of Washington there is the Henry Art Gallery at the U. of Washington, free on Thursdays, and the Burke Museum of Natural History free on the first Thursday of each month

If you're going to be here longer than that:

- Discovery Park in Magnolia. Fantastic Puget Sound views.
- Alki Beach in West Seattle. Great views of downtown, interesting beach feel.
- Fremont (Bohemian neighborhood with good shops, restaurants, clubs)
- Ballard Locks to see salmon jumping up a fish ladder
- Lots of other parks, viewpoints and neighborhoods to check out
- Look in Seattle Weekly or The Stranger or Seattle magazine for listings. Also, the Seattle Times runs outstanding calendar sections on Thursdays and Fridays.

Restaurants:

There are really too many to list, plus I'm hesitant to give my favorites because I have a particular weakness for expensive joints and all that will do is piss people off. If you want specific ideas, post again and ask. List a dollar budget and whether or not you drink wine. Seattle really shines in the middle- to upper-middle level restaurant category. Good seafood, "Asian fusion," New American and traditional cuisine. A good place for specific recommendations is Chowhound.

One of the best dining deals anywhere in the United States can be had at Farestart, a restaurant that trains the homeless and people in recovery for restraurant jobs. They serve outstanding dinners prepared by the city’s leading chefs. It’s all for charity. Eat well while doing good.

Oh, and on the cheap side I found a great Vietnamese Pho place on Brooklyn Ave. (one block north of University Ave.) at about 42d or 43d St. in the "U District" near the U of Washington. The Pho soup is great, and so is their homemade yogurt, of all things. Another great Pho place that I just found is Pho Cyclo Café in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Excursions from Seattle:

- Tacoma Museum of Glass
- The Olympic Peninsula. Plan for at least two days, preferably three or four. Here is an article about camping on the western beaches, but even if you don't camp it's worth reading to get a feel for the area. Good places to stay include La Push Ocean Park and Lake Crescent Lodge and Lake Quinault Lodge. Be sure to take a water-repellant jacket with a hood. Must-sees on the Olympic Peninsulta include: Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach (near LaPush), Makah Museum, Hurricane Ridge (near Port Angeles). In particular, this very experienced traveler regards Rialto Beach as one of the great American places and worth making a special effort to visit. It is the highlight of what is the longest undeveloped coastline in the Lower 48 states.
-Victoria, B.C., from Seattle via fast passenger-only ferry, the Victoria Clipper, or a car and passenger ferry, the M.V. Coho from Port Angeles, WA. Victoria is a good overnight trip. Attractions include strolling in the attractive town; high tea at the Empress Hotel (a little pretentious, but what’s "high tea" all about, anyway?); Butchart Gardens (over-the-top and cheesy, but fun); and the British Columbia Museum, which has an outstanding collection of Indian stuff.
-Take a trip to Mt. St. Helens

Climate and Seattle:

The image, of course, is that Seattle is drenched all the time. Actually, Seattle lies partly in a rain shadow created by the Olympic Mountains to the west, and therefore gets only 38 inches of rain a year. Mid-November through mid-January is the typical rainy season, but chronic cloudiness can easily run from mid-October well into May. During those times, Seattle is made for an intermittent windshield wiper.

Winter temperatures are typically in the 30s and 40s (F). Occasionally there will be snow in the city, but rarely in significant amounts. As a result, there isn’t much plowing capacity here, so if you happen to be here in December or January and hear a forecast for 4 to 6 inches of snow in the city and it happens to come true, you can expect the place to pretty much shut down for a day while everyone waits for it to melt. Clothing: water-resistant jacket with hood plus a sweater.

There are mountains to the east of Seattle – the Cascades – with popular ski runs. In a normal year those mountains get bucketloads of snow. If you’re planning on driving to a ski area or over the Cascades, pay attention to weather reports. On some occasions tire chains will be required, although it’s not common because plowing crews are very active there. So, there’s no need to rent a 4WD vehicle in the winter, and no need to buy a set of chains unless you absolutely, positively must drive during a snowstorm. Which makes you too crazy to follow advice, anyway.

Summers are glorious here, typically sunny and bug-free. Temps in the 70s and 80s (F) and occasionally the 90s. Air conditioning is typically used here for a couple weeks at most, if at all. If you’re going out to the Olympic Peninsula west of the mountains there, it can, and does, rain 12 months of the year although summer is much drier and rain will be in the form of brief afternoon squalls. If you go out there between October and April and especially from November through February, it’ll be coming down in buckets. Take a water+proof+ jacket, and if you’re going to be outdoors a lot, water+proof+ pants.

147

Willysnout's Favorites In Santa Monica/L.A.
I Lived There in the '80s and Have Visited About 20 Times Since I Left

- Venice boardwalk. I lived a half-block away from it. Bohemian mix, muscle beach, mimes, musicians, funky stuff. Go in the afternoon. Night time can be dicey, especially the farther south you walk from the Santa Monica border.

- Santa Monica pier. Old time fishing pier with bumper cars, cafes, souvenirs, a couple bars. Lots of fun.

- Santa Monica Third Street Promenade. Upscale (but not horrendously so) shopping and restaurant district.

- Main Street in Santa Monica. Good restaurants, interesting shops, a semi-interesting contemporary art museum.

- Shutters on the Beach. Super-upscale hotel. Have drinks there, and you'll feel like a studio executive. You might spot some actors there, if that sort of thing matters to you.

- Getty museums. There are two, the Villa in Malibu and the Getty Center in L.A. Here is more information. The Villa has stunning views, but is often very hard to get a ticket.

- Peninsula Hotel, corner of Wilshire & Santa Monica Blvds in Beverly Hills. Super-luxe place favored by studio execs. One of the funniest prostitution scenes on earth at their bar. Everyone pretends to be subtle and discreet, even though no one is. Dress "elegant casual" and play the part. It's like something from a Robert Altman movie.

- Japantown, or Little Tokyo, is downtown. Interesting spot, though said to be shrinking.

- L.A. County Art Museum and Dorothy Chandler pavillion (performing arts center) are near, interestingly enough, the La Brea Tar Pits. A three-for-one tourist attraction near Century City, about halfway between downtown L.A. and Santa Monica.

- Norton Simon art museum in Pasadena. If you've got the car, it's worth the time. Via public transit, it is three-quarters of a mile from the Memorial Park station on the Gold Line.

- Favorite beach: Leo Carillo State Beach, about 40 miles north of Santa Monica on the Pacific Coast Highway (a/k/a "PCH," Hwy. 1). Great place for a barbecue at sunset. Not well known, hence not often crowded.

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Highlights In and Near S.F.
(Yes, these are "touristy," but who do you think you are, visiting royalty?)

- Golden Gate Bridge, including a stroll through the surrounding park down to the water.

- Coit Tower for panoramic views of the Bay and the city.

- Ride a cable car.

- Ferry to Sausalito

- Day trip to Alcatraz Island. If it's permitted, pack a picnic lunch and eat it on the steps of the prison exercise yard. Wonderful views of the Bay and the city from there.

- Day trip to Muir Woods, Muir Beach and Pt. Reyes Light.

- The wine country, i.e., Napa and Sonoma, is something that a lot of people want to see. Temper your expectations. There are no bargains, and once you’ve seen one winery you’ve seen ‘em all. Be careful on the roads, because the local police are reputed to be tough on drunken driving; with a blood alcohol limit of .08%, all it takes is a couple glasses. The Buena Vista winery in Sonoma is arguably the best one to see, because there’s a park and some genuine history. In my opinion the best way to see the wine country is to go there on a tour bus, because then you don’t have to hunt around for wineries or worry about drinking too much. I say this as someone who generally wouldn’t be caught dead on a tour bus, but this is an exception to the rule.

- Note about the wine country: I did recommend the one winery in Sonoma but that's because of its particular attributes. The idea frequently tossed out on TT that Sonoma is somehow "laid back" while Napa is somehow "snooty" is pure nonsense and represents group-think, wish-projection and maybe a hallucination or two, but not any realities. I even ran into one poster who was under the impression that wineries in Napa charge for tastings while wineries in Sonoma do not. Wrong-o. They all charge.

Special restaurant in San Francisco:

- Tadich Grill on California St. near the Financial District. S.F.'s oldest restaurant. Very good food, unique atmosphere, popular with locals.

Hotels:

Try Expedia or Priceline. As of this writing (spring 2006), you can expect to pay $75-$100 a night for moderate quality accommodations in the city booked through those sites.

Excursions:

Here is an excellent travel article about the Northern California coast, including Mendocino and Pt. Reyes.

Also, you could go south to Big Sur. If you go there, be sure to have lunch at Nepenthe. Another 50 miles or so south, there is San Simeon, the site of the Hearst Castle. The tours are great. North of Big Sur but South of San Francisco are Monterey, which is worth a day or two, and Santa Cruz, a good place to stop for lunch on the way to or from.

149

What About Those "Driveaway" Cars?

A common question around here comes from people who have heard that you can drive a car from one city to another for free. Is this is a good alternative to renting a car in the United States, they will ask. The answer is probably not. This post will explain why not.

The best known car transport organization is called Auto Driveaway. Car owners pay them a fee. They advertise for drivers to transport cars between cities. For example, I live in Milwaukee and I'm moving to San Diego. I don't want to drive there, or it's a sudden move, or I own more cars than I have drivers for. I can spend a thousand or more dollars to have my car from one city to the next, or I can spend less than that to have Auto Driveaway find someone to drive it to San Diego for me.

It's a win-win situation for the right kind of people: A cost-conscious car owner and someone who wants to get from Point A to Point B but doesn't want to fly. Maybe that person has a bunch of luggage. Or maybe they're afraid of flying. Or maybe they'd like to see the countryside. Or maybe there's some little town along the way that you want to stop in. So why isn't this a good idea for most tourists? Here's why:

Your gas isn't included. Lately, I've seen some listings that offer a gas allowance, but you can't count on it. As of this writing (June '06), gas is running approximately 15 cents a mile. Between that and the costs of food and lodging (also unreimbursed), it costs more than flying.

You're generally limited to Interstate highways. There isn't a specific policy stating that, but you are given pretty strict mileage and time limits, i.e., four days and 1,900 miles. In practical terms, you're not going to be taking detours. So you have a Driveaway car from New York to L.A. and you'd like to see Yellowstone and stop in San Francisco for a couple days? Forget about it.

It's unpredictable. Most tourists apply some level of scheduling to their trips, often fairly tight. If a Driveaway car between a city you're in and one where you want to go, tough luck. You don't get to reserve them in advance.

The rules are enforced. How? With a $300 deposit. Driveaway is good about returning deposits on the spot, but they will deduct for driving too many miles or taking too much time to get there.

So who'd use a Driveaway car, anyway? Well, I did it about 30 years ago. Today they require drivers to be at least 23 years of age, but in the late '70s the minimum age was 18. I drove one from Seattle to San Diego. Back then, air fares were much more expensive than today, and gas was much cheaper. Plus, for me, the drive was an adventure even though it was a straight, boring shot down Interstate 5. But I had a backup plan.

Bottom line: There are better ways to travel between cities, starting with flying. Oh, and my definite sense is that shipping of cars by truck has become far more prevalent over the years. Check Driveaway's site. They don't seem to have a lot of cars available.